Club LOVE Don’t Live Here No More… (by J. Tinsley)

Posted by Mr. Put On on January 11, 2010

It must be the cold air in DC that’s causing some of the city’s marquee names to be excommunicated from the public eye. Earlier this week Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitelyfor allegedly pulling his gun out on teammate Javaris Crittendon. Now Club LOVE, DC’s largest and arguably most popular nightclub, can be added to the list. The indefinite closure of the establishment, depending who you ask, follows a string of violent acts including a stabbing on New Year’s Day. I’m assuming the ABRA saw the initial 96-hour suspension as too light of a punishment.

Truthfully, I was never the person to be found there every week ad nauseum (only been there a total of three times actually). There are a few other spots I’d chose to frequent over LOVE, but that’s pointless. The club, formerly known as “Dream,” has been one of the go the go-to venues on the East Coast for rappers and R&B crooners alike for years. Before myth sets in and creates urban legend, here are a few YouTube clips that showcase the club’s storied history.

Jeezy And Jay-Z Usher In The Black President

Think back to January 2009, D.C. was the place to be. Around the time Barack was sworn in as the 44th executive leader of this country, two of Hip-Hop’s most notorious dope boys had crafted his own personal G-mix to ensure his term started off on the good foot. You guessed it. LOVE was the spot Jay debuted his inauguration speech on Jeezy’s political declaration.

Weezy, The Fan & The Water Bottle

Weezy was feelin’ Whitney, but someone in attendance obviously wasn’t feeling Weezy. No worries. Wayne kept the show moving with no disruptions and had the entire crowd beckoning at his every word. More importantly, the culprit who threw the water bottle on stage obviously had money to blow (no pun). You ever tried to buy a water bottle in the club? Good luck.

The Ladies Love Trey

Seeing as how Trey hails from central Virginia, it’s no surprise he’s no stranger to LOVE. That said, it still doesn’t diminish the type of attendance he draws whenever he’s in the area. This was shot late last year at his most recent birthday bash. If you ever wanted to pull a female meet your future wife at the club, go whenever Trey was there. She’d likely be there in attendance.

Keyshia Keeps The Ladies Movement Moving

Long before Boobie became the only man in her life, Keyshia had the anthem for every single, recently scorned and independent woman nationwide. Congrats to her and D-Gib for the engagement and future child, by the way. Score one for black love.

T.I.’s “State Of The Trap” Address

Around this time, it was still unknown as to what Tip’s future would be. However, Clifford saw fit to address the D.C. crowd that regardless of what happened, he forever appreciated the support of those who stood beside him.

Drake Has Choir Rehearsal

I actually recorded this footage when I was at LOVE in May 2009. The energy was beyond crazy in the building that night and when I say everyone was rapping/singing every word along with this guy, I bullshit you not. He wasn’t lying when he said he had a country wide tour with no album.

Obviously, this list could have continued on with names such as Rick Ross, 50 Cent, Nas and former Howard University student, Sean “P.Diddy” Combs. Regardless if this establishment has seen its last party/concert, they can at least concede they’ve had one hell of a run. Hopefully this means those messages that seem to appear every Wednesday in my Facebook inbox will disappear as well though.